On Wings of Eagles
by HazyEpiphany
Summary: Sasuke was too frightened to sacrifice himself for Naruto. As a result, Haku's ice needles penetrated Naruto… But something unexpected happened. Naruto grew his wings. Naruto is the only survivor of one of Orochimaru's twisted experiments. How will this affect his abilities as a ninja? Mild language, possibly Naruto x Temari
1. Prologue

A/N: My first non-C&H fic! Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

A window slid open in a dark bedroom, and a shadowy figure slipped silently in. The man, a ninja known as Orochimaru, cackled quietly to himself. It had taken hours to bypass the Fourth Hokage's personal security seals (after all, the Hokage _was_ a genius seal master–the best seal master to have ever lived on this world), but it had had been worth it. Oh so worth it. The twisted man rubbed his hands together in excitement. He couldn't wait to destroy his rival's life. HE should have been the Yondaime! HE alone was worthy! He had experience! That upstart brat, Namikaze Minato, had nothing on him! Sure he made a cool sealing jutsu and sure he looked much better, but did he have the guts to lead? No! Only Orochimaru did! Did he have eternal life? No! Neither did Orochimaru, but he was close. Very, very close. Soon, he would be immortal. And soon, he would rule Konoha until the end of time! Pulling himself out of his internal rant, Orochimaru smirked. He had things to do. He looked down at the sleeping couple, their eyes were closed and they slumbered peacefully. Unaware as to what was going to happen. Minato snorted gently, and his arm was curled protectively around Kushina. Orochimaru cooed in mock tenderness… and nearly slipped in a puddle of morning sick. Ew. He winced to himself. Uzumaki vomit was notoriously acidic as a result of their high metabolism, and therefore, high intake. The stronger acid allowed Uzumaki to digest food much quicker and had the added benefit of giving them a stomach of steel. They could eat almost anything. Tin cans, kunai, plywood, basically anything that could fit could be eaten. Which was why Orochimaru wanted to inject a certain something into the Hokage's soon-to-be child. A quick metabolism, high chakra reserves, insane stamina, and great vitality would surely help to insure that his experiment would work.

Ever so carefully, he reached into his pocket and grabbed a small cylindrical object. And ever so carefully, he lifted the object to his face. It was a syringe full of an unknown poison. Clear liquid sloshed around inside, and tiny bubbles rose to the surface. He had found the poison at The Pit–a magical place where the ninja got their technology. Ninja were far too reliant on their chakra and had no need to innovate. Civilians were too dependent on Ninja. And as a result, nothing new was ever created. Except at The Pit. The Pit was special. Things appeared in it randomly. Mysteriously. Your radio is broken? Chuck it out and go find one at the nearest Pit! Looking for a refrigerator? Go look through The Pit! Need a weapon of mass destruction capable of destroying entire countries? Go to The Pit and pray to all your gods that you would find it (Orochimaru had actually attempted this several times in his youth). This magical anomaly made people even lazier and less creative than they normally would have been. There were several Pits scattered sparsely throughout the Elemental Countries. Every major country had a least one, maybe two depending on its size. Wars had been fought over them. The country that controlled the most Pits would likely be the dominant country for decades, if not centuries. The Pits were useful, nobody could deny that, and as a result, were dubbed national treasures to their respective countries. The nearest Pit was fifteen miles southwest of Konoha. The First Hokage, who had realized the immense power held in it, had built a massive wall encircling The Pit. Its strength rivaled that of Konoha's own walls, but Konoha's walls didn't have self-replenishing high-powered exploding tags sown throughout the grounds, nor did it have a sentient defense of wood and flora. When seeing how much security Konoha had invested in The Pit, other countries realized the importance of defending their own Pits and soon created defences of their own.

A renowned scholar had once theorized that the Pits were actually beacons, areas in space of massive gravitational pull. Maybe it was the depositing end of a Black Hole (Thank goodness it wasn't the business end). In one of his writings, he had hypothesized that Pits must attract and pull in unwanted junk from a different or remote place, time, world, or even dimension. However, his theory was unproven, as many other theories regarding Pits were, and the landmarks remained a mystery. Naturally, Orochimaru, being so crafty and curious, regularly monitored new arrivals. It hadn't taken long at all to bypass the heavy security and create an easy access point. He still looked for a superweapon to destroy parts of the continent. Hey, a ninja could dream, couldn't he?

Recently, he had found something almost as good. He had come across a crate full of vials. From what he could gather from the writings in the box, the vials contained a dangerous chemical that mutated developing infants. The effects were unknown, and the vials were largely experimental. Orochimaru had no idea what would happen, but he knew it would be spectacular. After running some experiments on some unwanted street urchins, he had realized that only an extremely powerful and strong person could ever survive to show results. When the Sandaime had found him out and chased him away, Orochimaru had been forced to leave behind his experiments and all but one vial. The vial he had today. He had recently returned to his old haunts and had been pleasantly surprised to find his works mostly untouched and under a stasis seal. After examining his morbid experiments, he had realized something. The chemicals messed with a person's DNA. Several of the long dead children had grown claws or muzzles or partial wings. The poison melded human DNA and animal DNA seemingly seamlessly. It was a breakthrough and helped Orochimaru realize how he could use it. The chemical could only be used on a baby with an extraordinary life capacity. Only a child just born or a child yet born could adapt to the changes in its DNA. Unfortunately, either ANBU or ROOT had confiscated all other poisons and experiments. Orochimaru assumed that they had either destroyed or used the poisons. And since he didn't see any half animal, half human freaks running around, he assumed it was the former. His notes and observations, however, had not been destroyed, and, after going through them, Orochimaru was able to come to two conclusions. One, there were two variety of the poison. The Lupus, or wolf strain, and the Avis, or bird strain. The Lupus strain appeared to be derived from the vials labeled WP42, and the Avis strain appeared to be derived from the vials labeled WP40. If they were labeled as such, Orochimaru mused, could there be forty other strains of the poison? It was worth looking into… Once he ruled the world. His second conclusion was that if he could breed even a few of these freaks, he would be able to rule the world even _without_ a superweapon of mass destruction. The animal side of the freak would greatly enhance the child's reflexes, strength, stamina, reserves, and everything else. They would be far superior to a puny shinobi. Oh, he couldn't wait to rule the world.

Originally, the snake-sannin had wanted to inject himself with the medicine. Then he found out the risks and decided it wasn't worth it. He was working on another form of immortality. But it would take a long, long time. So he would have to be satisfied with stealing bodies for now. When the young child manifested his abilities, Orochimaru would swoop in and possess him. Oh, happy day! He wished that day were tomorrow. One step closer to ruling the world was still one step closer. Then, once he ruled the world, he would gather all the knowledge in the world and become all powerful! He giggled insanely to himself. He couldn't wait! He couldn't wait! And when–At this, he stopped his silent monologue to raise his arms magnanimously–he ruled the world… HE WOULD BE THE MOST POWERFUL MAN(err snake?) IN THE WORLD! He caught himself before his evil laugh could wake up the sleeping shinobi. Then he could raise his old pet bunny, Rini, back from the dead! Then he would be able to cuddle up with his cute widdle fwuffy bunny! EEEEEE! Then his cute bunny would never die! He would never be alone! If his cute little bunny hadn't died, he wouldn't have been so grumpy as a child! He would have been likeable! People would have liked him! He wouldn't have turned evil! He would have been Hokage! But… He wouldn't have become immortal! Orochimaru decided to forgive the Shinigami just a teensy little bit. Sure, he still hated that old dead guy, and he would definitely rip Rini's soul back from that jerk's bony hands, but he wouldn't kill him. No, he wouldn't kill him. Unless Shinigami decided he wanted to fight! Eheheheheh… He fingered the syringe. It was the solution. He would bide his time… Then strike like a snake.

"Kukukukukukuku," Orochimaru chuckled sinisterly, his pale face contorted into an ugly mask of glee. He lightly pressed on the plunger, squirting a few drops of the liquid into the air. Unfortunately, he had no idea if the poison was the WP42 or the WP40 strain. Personally, he hoped for the WP42 strain. Sure, being able to fly was cool and all, but he thought birds were super wimpy. A wolf man that could claw, bite, and maul you to death was, in his opinion, much better than a bird man who could what? Poop you to death from a few miles in the air? Flipping through a short series of handseals, he put Kushina into a deep sleep, insuring that she would not wake to the pain. He lifted up her flimsy white nightshirt, exposing her bare stomach which was just beginning to show signs of pregnancy. The wickedly long needle gleamed in the silver moonlight. He positioned the needle over her belly, smirked, and plunged it deep into her womb, making sure the tip was positioned inside the fetus. Then, he slowly pressed down on the plunger with his thumb, emptying the contents of the syringe into the baby. Something stirred. There was a change in the air. Orochimaru cackled. He knew something had happened. And he couldn't wait for it. He knew that it would be at least a decade before his actions bore fruit. He was almost certain that puberty would bring on the manifestation of the animalistic abilities. But he wasn't completely sure. Perhaps the child would be born with their abilities. Bowing deeply first to the Hokage, then to his wife, he smiled and leapt out of the window and into the streets… Only to cry out and stumble to the ground in an indignified manner. Cursing silently and obscenely, questioning the gods' sexual orientations, intelligence, and… organ size under his breath, he scrambled to his feet, seized his half-melted shoe, and hurled as far into the village as he could. Then, running unevenly, with one foot sandaled and the other bare, he made a beeline for the wall. Nobody saw the lithe figure sprint out to the gate, scale the wall, and disappear into the shadows. Nobody knew what had happened. And nobody would ever find out until many years later…

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><p>AN: Tell me if you like it… or if you don't! And if I have anything wrong with this, please tell me so I can fix it! R&R


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: This is basically a filler chapter leading up to Naruto's manifestation which will be in the next chapter. Sorry for the delay! I am now unable to post from home and must now post from school (because my anti-imagination parents don't approve of fanfiction). Also, there's midterms, and again, my anti-imagination parents don't want me being distracted. They think fanfiction is a place where crappy authors put their stories because they can't get them published. I think that's wrong. There are plenty of good writers on here. You just have to dig a little bit. One wise man said: Looking for good fanfictions is like digging through a sewer for pennies. You have to dig through a lot of crap, but sometimes, you find pure gold.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

Uzumaki Naruto was so excited! Today was his first C-rank mission! He was currently at Ichiraku Ramen, downing a celebratory ramen breakfast. "One more bowl, please, Ayame-nee!' he shouted energetically, practically bouncing on his seat at the speed of light.

"So you've finally learned some manners, Naruto-kun! Glad I only had to pound it into you for over a _decade_!" Ayame nodded approvingly. "One Hokage ramen coming right up!" She handed him an enormous bowl of ramen. Naruto salivated and raised the bowl to his lips. He gulped the noodles down in seconds and plunked the bowl down at the very top of a very tall, tall, unsteady stack of bowls with a satisfied sigh. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and stretched out. "Are you quite sure you're done, Naruto?" Ayame teased playfully, mussing his hair. "Usually you would be eating way more than just thirty bowls!"

"Awww, Ayame-nee!" Naruto mock whined adorably, his foxy whiskers stretching across his face along with his grin. "That's unfair! I don't eat _that_ much! Besides! All must praise the Ramen God! He is part of the holy trinity! All must obey the Log, the Ramen, and the Orange! Not to mention I have my first C-rank mission today! I'm one step closer to being Hokage! I'm too excited for more ramen!"

"Be safe and be a good boy!" Teuchi tousled the boy's unruly blonde hair. "I don't want to lose my best customer!"

"Don't worry, Old Man! I'll come back safe and sound! And famous. I'll come back famous too! That's a promise! Dattebayo!" Naruto slapped his payment down on the counter and sprinted excitedly toward the village gates, bumping into several people and knocking over an unfortunate old lady. After apologizing profusely and hastily picking up her spilled groceries, he disappeared around a corner.

Teuchi stared after the blonde boy and sighed fondly. "That boy's gonna be great one day… If he doesn't get himself killed by something stupid." He pocketed the money and returned to his cooking. Ayame smiled and staggered toward the sink with the tower of ramen bowls. She piled them in with obvious effort and began to wash them, all the while, praying for Naruto's safety.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Naruto skidded to a stop just outside the village gates. "Hi, Sakura-chan! Wanna go out on a date with me? Hi, Sasuke-teme! Hey, are you constipated? I hope it'll help get that stick outta your ass! Hi, Old Drunk! Hi, Kaka–" Without warning, Naruto suddenly sent a flying roundhouse kick at Kakashi's head, only to have his foot caught firmly by a gloved hand.

"Hee hee hee!" Kakashi's face was buried in his perverted Icha-Icha book. "Maa, Naruto, why would you attack your own sensei? That's not very nice!"

"You're not Kakashi-sensei! You're an imposter! Kakashi would never be on time! The _real_ Kakashi wouldn't be here now. He'd still be wandering the village or something! What did you do to Kakashi?" Naruto's fists were planted indignantly on his hips. He wriggled, trying his best to maintain his balance despite having one leg held high in the air.

"Ahh, Naruto," Kakashi snapped his book shut to stare intently at the whiskered boy. "Aren't you the master of deception? Of unpredictability? Surely you know to expect the unexpected and to look underneath the underneath! After all, a good ninja is just on time! Too early, and he could miss his contact and accidentally warn off his target! Too late, and he could be ambushed!"

Naruto slowly nodded. "I see, Kakashi-sensei…" He whirled around and pointed an accusing finger at the silver-haired pervert. "But I bet you just made that up! This was your best lie, but I know you too well to believe you! Jii-Jii probably threatened to burn your nasty smut if you didn't show up on time!"

Kakashi's single eye curved upwards into a smile. "Think what you want! But consider this a lesson learned!

Naruto snorted disbelievingly and crossed his arms. "Yeah, right." His teammates rolled their eyes in silent agreement. Kakashi's face fell comically and a sweatdrop formed on the back of his head. "My own precious students don't believe me?" He mock sobbed. "Why? Why? Where did I go wrong?" He fell on his knees. "Why? Why?" He begged his students.

Tazuna coughed delicately. "I'm sorry to interrupt your err… team bonding, but I'd really like to be home by the end of the day."

"Oh, right! Of course! I just kinda sorta forgot about you!" Kakashi scratched the back of his head sheepishly. He then set off down the road, whistling a merry tune and reading his orange book. His team stared after him with gaping mouths and huge sweatdrops. Then, they automatically formed a triangular defense formation around the old builder and began their mission.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Several hours later, Sakura was nearly pulling her long, luxurious hair (that would surely seduce her Sasuke-kun into loving her as much as she loved him) out in frustration. This mission was going terribly. Everything was going down the drain. The only upside of the mission was that it was nearly over. Kakashi had finally revealed that they were just twenty kilometers from Wave after getting fed up with Naruto's incessant question. "Are we there yet?" Naruto asked yet again, bouncing up and down energetically. Sakura nearly scowled but reminded herself that she wouldn't look good in front of Sasuke if she had wrinkles. Kakashi just gave a noncommittal shrug; he was too absorbed in his gross book. Apparently satisfied with the reply, Naruto went back to what he had been doing: asking Sakura for a date. "Hey, Sakura-chan! Wanna go out with me? I'll protect you with my life!"

Sakura turned away from the hyperactive jinchuuriki. "No. Shut up. Hey, Sasuke-kun! Wanna go out with me? I'll help you reform your clan!" She made doe eyes at Sasuke.

Kakashi just giggled. "Not with those hips she won't!"

Sakura's face clouded in fury. She raised her fist, making as if to punch him… Then realized that he might have been referring to his precious Icha-Icha. Nevertheless, Kakashi was understandably cowed by the glower she was giving him.

So to sum up her mission experience so far, quite frankly, it sucked. Naruto was trying to get a date with her, (unsuccessfully) she was trying to get a date with Sasuke (she just _knew_ that Sasuke-kun loved her. If only he would work up the courage to accept her propositions! She was, after all, the hottest girl… _**CHA YES I AM! **_ …in the nearest ten meters. _**WAIT WHAT?**_ Inner Sakura's heart bloomed with passion. _**I MUST HAVE SASUKE!**_)

Sasuke… Well, who knows who _he _was trying to get a date with. The asexual homicidal freak was probably dreaming about a date with Itachi's dead body. Kakashi was the only person who had succeeded in winning a date. With his book. But it was still more of a date than the three Genins' pathetic attempts. _Oh, Zuka-chan… You naughty girl!_ Kakashi let out a perverted giggle. Sakura glared at that chauvinist (The ironic thing was that she was fantasizing about re enacting that whole book with Sasuke). Sasuke just ignored Sakura's advances. But it was getting harder each time. She was getting pretty scary. He knew eventually she might scar him for life! He went back to his day-dream.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Soon afterwards, The team passed a large puddle on the side of the road. Kakashi's single eye followed it for much longer than just a cursory glance should have. _Hmmmm… It hasn't rained in awhile but there's still this huge puddle. Oh well, let's see how my team reacts to this._ He turned his attention to the young Genin and was almost disappointed in what he saw. Sasuke was still being a moody emo, Sakura was still begging him for a date, and Naruto, what on earth was he doing? Did he figure out what was going on? Meanwhile, Naruto was dancing in what appeared to be extreme discomfort. It was NOT funny! NOT funny!

"Hey guys, I really have to go pee! Wait for me!" He raced away, undoing his pants as he ran. _Hey, that looks like a nice puddle to pee in!_ Naruto thought to himself, completely ignoring the fact that it hadn't rained in forever. He stopped a few feet away from the puddle, took aim, and unleashed a torrent of urine not unlike a firehose combating a flaming inferno.

"EEEWWWW, NARUTO! YOU SHOULDN'T PEE IN FRONT OF A LADY!" Sakura shrieked.

"Ehehehe… Sorry, Sakura. Didn't think about that," Naruto was buttoning his pants.

"Dobe…" Sasuke's first words in the entire mission. "When did you last pee?"

"Well… I think it was just after that Tora mission a coupla days ago, y'know?"

Kakashi sweatdropped then continued his reading. The puddle's surface boiled over, then two masked shinobi emerged spluttering from the puddle.

"YOU!" The first shinobi bellowed raspily through his rebreather. "DON'T YOU KNOW NOT TO PEE ON OTHER PEOPLE? IT'S SO RUDE!" He turned to his partner and whispered, "See, Gozu? That's why I said we shouldn't move to Konoha. Too many freaks and crazies."

"I am _not_ a freak!" Naruto scrunched up his face and planted his fists in his hips. "You guys are just so stupid I _look_ like one!"

"Yeah?" Gozu shot back, "Then why would you pee on me and Meizu?"

"'COZ YOU WERE STUPID ENOUGH TO PRETEND TO BE A PUDDLE!"

"WE WEREN'T PRETENDING TO BE A PUDDLE! WE _WERE_ A PUDDLE!"

This, Kakashi noticed, was probably true. Both the shinobi looked a shade yellower and several centimeters taller. He giggled to himself, drawing strange looks from everybody. He then cleared his throat and coughed. "Maa… Naruto? Are you sure you want to tick them off? They're the Demon Brothers of Kirigakure. Missing ninja. They're very dangerous, and they have _extremely_ good teamwork." _Unlike you guys_ Kakashi mentally added. He pulled out his Bingo book and pretended to leaf through it, scrutinizing every page. "Hmmm… It looks like they're B-rank ninja. I really hope we can talk this through instead of fighting. It would take up some time and energy and you might get ripped into eensy weensy shreds!"

Meizu smiled, showing sharp teeth. "I'm a reasonable man–"

"–and I'm sure we can talk this out." Gozu finished.

Meizu nudged his head at Tazuna and winked. "Just give us the old man and you can go with no troubles."

Team Seven was stunned by the sudden turn of events. Surely Kami must have been partying for all this crazy stuff to happen. And Lady Luck must have been with her because things were starting to look up.

"What are we waiting for?" Sakura screeched, breaking the silence. "Let's hand that drunk over and get out of here!"

"Are you kidding?" Sasuke snapped, "I want to test how strong I am!"

Sakura shrank back like a kicked puppy while Naruto looked on in sympathy. He knew that feeling. "Ehehe, sorry Sakura. But I gotta go with Sasuke on this one." He ignored her betrayed look. "We gotta stick with our mission. A shinobi must never go back on his word. Plus, I want to come home victorious! I don't want my first C-rank to be a failure! I'm gonna be Hokage!" He thrust an arm into the air and turned toward the brothers, smirking. "So sorry, guys, but you'll have to get through–CRAP!" The Demon Brothers were bearing in on him at speeds he could never dodge. Their eyes gleamed maniacally and they each held one end of a glittering chain of shuriken.

The sound of flesh being sliced was terrible. Even Sasuke winced. Then several broken pieces of wood fell to the ground with a clatter.

"OI!" A voice bellowed from the treeline. "THAT WASN'T FAIR! YOU DIRTY UNDERHANDED CHEATERS! YOU CUT MY HAND!"

Without pausing to look back, Meizu replied, a sadistic snarl twisting his features. "Shinobi _are _dirty underhanded cheaters. If that's news to you, then you signed up for the wrong job. But it's too late now! You're gonna die! AHAHAHAHAHA!" His laughs sent chills up Tazuna's back.

Suddenly, the chain was wrapped several times around Kakashi. His eye widened. He had assumed that the extra water (coughcoughPEEcoughcough) would slow them down. He had been wrong and had underestimated them. Assumptions were truly the death of a shinobi. The chain bit into his body tighter and tighter, then ripped all the way through, causing his body to implode and sending out a wave of fresh blood that washed over the nearby ninja.

Gozu grunted in satisfaction. "One little piggy down…" He said in a deceptively sing-songy undertone.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Naruto shouted. He faced the brothers, punching his open palm with a fist. "Oh, it's on. You're going down! He was supposed to teach us stuff but you killed him!"

In unison, the brothers snorted derisively then charged at Tazuna. Acting immediately, Sasuke leapt into the air, firing off several tricky kunai shots not at the brothers, but at their chain. The force of the throw sent the brothers flying backward into a tree. The kunai was embedded solidly in the wood. Making sure the brothers wouldn't be able to attack again, Sasuke flicked of a round of shuriken at the kunai. The hole of the shuriken encompassed the hilt of the kunai, and a blade of the shuriken dug deeply into the tree, ensuring that the chain was anchored to the trunk. He smirked in satisfaction and relaxed. And this was where he miscalculated.

The brothers, after losing several battles in the Bloodline wars, had quickly realized what a liability being attached to each other was. What Sasuke had done was no trouble. Snorting, they unlatched the chain from their gauntlets and dashed toward Sasuke to finish him.

Sasuke saw the impending doom. But he was paralyzed. His muscles refused to respond and he wouldn't be able to dodge. He closed his eyes, preparing to meet his family.

"NO!" Naruto, who had been frozen in fear, finally acted. He threw a single shuriken as hard as he could, praying desperately that it would kill them.

The shuriken flew true… And killed Gozu. It sailed clean through the front of his throat, severing his windpipe and several other vital things. Naruto helplessly watched as the other brother ran at Sasuke. He would not be able to pull out another weapon.

Meizu cackled and raised a gauntleted hand. He would kill this little pest and then take the old man. Kakashi appeared in front of Sasuke, grabbing his arm and twisting it until bone cracked. "Maaa… I think I let this go too far… I nearly lost one of my precious cute little genin!"

"KAKASHI! YOU'RE ALIVE!" Naruto shouted excitedly.

"WHAAAT?!" Sakura shrieked, "I SAW YOU DIE! BLOOD WENT EVERYWHERE! I SAW YOU GET SLICED UP!"

Kakashi chuckled. "Well, if I was half log, half human, I suppose you might think that." He pointed at several chunks of wood lying on the ground. "But I don't think I'm part log… Or am I? I know at least one thing that is!" He giggled pervertedly at his innuendo. "As for the blood, well, I guess I need to teach you how to dispel a simple C-rank genjutsu.

Sighing in relief, Sasuke relaxed and kicked at Gozu, releasing his pent-up anger and frustration. He was not prepared at all when a gauntleted arm raised up, scratched him on the leg shallowly, and fell to the ground.

"Heh. Good one, bro." Meizu smirked tiredly.

"Sasuke… You should never touch a dead enemy until you're sure they're dead. Don't they teach you in the Academy that just because you're hit doesn't mean you're dead? Some people have remarkable willpower and can survive a mortal wound by hours, even days. I'm disappointed! The rookie of the year making such a mistake? I need to start training you guys!

At this, the gathered genin nodded enthusiastically. It was about time!

"Ahem," Meizu coughed, "Nice speech, but you'll only be training one." He motioned toward Sasuke and Naruto. "They're going to die within the hour. Even a scratch from our poisoned weapons would kill the best ninja."

"Your concern for us is nice and all, but don't worry. I've got this under control," Kakashi winked his single eye. He unsealed a messenger bird and wrote a hasty note back to Command. _Command, I have a present for you. One B-ranker about 60 kilometers up the North Road. - Inu._

He heard the sound of blade ripping into flesh. Naruto had stabbed his wound with a kunai.

"NARUTO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? STOP THAT!" Sakura yelled.

_Why am I always so different? I hate not fitting in! I work so hard but it never makes a difference! I swear. No one's gonna have to save my life again. I'm not going to be that one who hangs back or freezes up. I swear it. By the pain in my left hand._ Naruto's voice now rang clear across the field. "With this kunai, I promise I will protect the old man. Dattebayo!" He smiled.

Kakashi gave Naruto a smile. "Naruto, what you did was smart. You knew how to get rid of poison… but you've exceeded the need. You could bleed to death. I'm serious. You seem to have done some research, but you obviously didn't do enough. Didn't you know that all shinobi ranked chunin and up carry first aid poison kits?"

At this, Naruto shouted and brought his arms up to form a cross. "NOOO! NUH-UH! IT AINT GONNA HAPPEN! I'M NOT GONNA DIE LIKE THIS BEFORE I BECOME HOKAGE!" His panicked screams caused everybody to wince and cover their ears.

"What are you, Naruto? Some kind of freaky masochist? Do you, like, get off on pain?" Sakura fumed. "You got me worried!"

Kakashi knelt by Naruto. "Show me your hand." He looked at the wound and his eyes narrowed. _His hand… the wound. It's almost healed! _"It looks like you'll be fine, Naruto." He smiled in relief. _The power of the Kyuubi. I should have known._

Kakashi turned his attention to the problem at hand. Sasuke was now panting in pain. Sweat beaded on his brow and his eyes were squeezed shut. Kakashi bit down on his thumb, drawing blood, then unsealed a scroll that he pulled out from his jacket. After the poof of smoke dissipated, dozens of bottles could be seen arranged in neat rows on the ground. Selecting the first bottle, he poured three drops of the clear liquid on the wound. The liquid shimmered briefly, then changed. It solidified and became a royal blue hue. Kakashi's eyes skimmed quickly over the bottles. _Precipitate Royal Blue. Precipitate Royal Blue… Where is it? AHA!_ He plucked up a royal blue vial with a brown label and poured it directly on Sasuke's wound. He screamed and writhed in agony, but the green tendrils of poison gradually withdrew and left him. Kakashi sighed in relief. It had worked. He wrapped Sasuke's leg in first aid bandages to staunch the bleeding.

"So… Tazuna. Anything you care to tell us?" He turned a penetrating gaze to the old bridge builder.

"What? Well, I guess you must be pretty famous to have people attacking us!" Tazuna squirmed uncomfortably.

"Really? Because I think you're even _more_ famous." Kakashi scrutinized the old man. "They wanted you. Not me. I was just getting in their way."

Tazuna deflated, the fight going out of him. "Alright. I'm a bridge builder. That much is true. Gato, a billionaire has been controlling Wave for the past fifteen years, taking advantage of us and forcing us to pay him exorbitant taxes. We've gotten so poor, and the only thing that's keeping us from rising up and killing the midget is his mercenaries. Our only hope is to build a bridge to help with trading. But Gato is doing his best to stop it. And that includes killing me."

"I'm afraid we can't take this mission." Kakashi said coldly. "You asked for a C-rank mission. But what you're asking for is an A-rank. You're asking us to fight a small army of thugs and several high-ranking missing ninja. My cute little genin? I don't want them to die. They're green from the Academy. They've never seen fighting outside of spars and cheesy action movies. Konoha never gives up on their missions, however. We'll escort you back to the village and you can hire an A-rank team. We'll let you pay in small monthly deposits if money's an issue."

"Thanks for your generosity, shinobi-san, but if it's all the same to you, I'm going home. I'm already so close and my family needs me now. If I die, I die. And my beautiful daughter will forever curse Konoha's shinobi. My cute little grandson will grow up without a grandfather. And Wave will be destroyed and evil businessmen will rule the world." Tazuna gave a false smile full of bravado. "I understand if you need to go."

Kakashi sweatdropped. "I know what you're doing, old man, and it absolutely won't work." He looked down at his students, and upon seeing all three of them giving him teary-eyed puppydog looks, groaned and gave in. "Ok, it worked. But Konoha still expects your payment. We still need to eat you know."

"Thank you, shinobi-san. Our village is much indebted to you." Tazuna turned away. _OH YESSSS!_ He fistpumped once out of view.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

They were almost at Wave. A brave fisherman was rowing them silently across the river under the cover of the heavy mist.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura asked from his left side, "What was the scroll of bottles?"

"Well, Sakura, that's a standard-issue first-aid poison kit. The first bottle is an indicator of what antidote should be used. Each individual bottle and label is unique. There are three label colors: brown, blue, and yellow. The labels mean nothing about the actual poison, but help with sorting. For example, if the indicator, when poured on the poison, turned indigo and dissipated, I would look for the indigo bottle with the yellow label. That's because the indicator is a very rare chemical that reacts with almost all known poisons. For certain kinds of poisons, the chemical reaction will result in a solid, liquid, or gas. It also involves a change in color. The brown label stands for a precipitate. For example, if the indicator turned solid. The blue label stands for a liquid. Like if the indicator stayed in its form. And the yellow label stands for a gas. This is when it dissipates. It took a lot of trial and error, but the Aburame clan was able to invent this technique. It's saved countless lives." Kakashi finished his long-winded speech with a smile.

Surprisingly, Sakura was still enraptured. "Wow! I think I know what I want to be! I'm going to be a medic ninja! Then I'll be able to invent cool new healing techniques and save Sasuke-kun's life!"

Kakashi chuckled. "That's a better plan than your first one." The boat docked. After thanking the heroic fisherman, they began walking to the village, dreaming of dinner.

They hadn't walked long before the mist became too thick to be natural. Kakashi activated his Sharingan and his suspicions were correct. The whole mist was infused with chakra. The eye would be of no help in this fight. He could, however, still make out a form through the mist. There was a denser collection about forty meters away at ten o'clock. Then, the mist grew too thick and the form disappeared.

Kakashi's highly-trained ears heard it before he even knew it was coming. When he registered it, his eyes grew wide and he urgently shouted, "DOWN!" to his students. Upon seeing Tazuna still standing, shocked, he dove into the man, tackling him to the ground just as a massive zanbato whizzed overhead.

A man stood on the zanbato which was embedded in a tall oak. His blank eyes stared impassively down at the caravan and his body which was facing away from them was relaxed in a seemingly unguarded position, inviting an attack. Kakashi's eye narrowed. _That looks like…_ Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Naruto rubbing his hands gleefully. _Hehe. Looks like the kid wants to redeem himself in the form of glorious combat._ Then, addressing the mysterious man, he said, "Well, well… If it isn't Momochi Zabuza. The Demon of the Mist."

Naruto's whole body was tensed in anticipation. _Ready… Steady…_ He crouched, ready to spring. _GO!_ He leapt forward but was cut short when Kakashi's hand rose, blocking him.

"Don't attack, Naruto, this man is on a whole other level." Kakashi stated. "Even with my Sharingan, I would have to go all out."

Sasuke turned sharply to Kakashi. _Sharingan? How did he get it?_

Still in his unguarded position, Zabuza rumbled, "Hatake Kakashi, I presume?" His bandaged face hid a predatory grin. "Care to surrender the old man?"

Kakashi didn't reply. He made as if to raise his slanted headband, then remembered that it would do no good in the battle. "Protect Tazuna-san, Squad Seven. Let no harm come to him. Stay out of this fight if you want to live." He drew a Kunai and held it at ready position. "And now, Zabuza… Shall we?"

"Ahahahaha!" Zabuza's mirthless laugh invoked a shudder from the genin. Tazuna let out a whimper and peed his pants. "I'm disappointed that you feel I'm so weak that you needn't even unveil your Sharingan!"

"What use would a chakra-seeing eye be in a chakra-full mist?" Kakashi countered.

"Smart boy." Zabuza crooned. "Well, enough small talk. If you will not surrender the old man, I'll have to polish him off… But Kakashi… It looks like I'll have to get you out of the way first."

There was a blur of movement, and the man and the blade suddenly disappeared from the tree.

Kakashi's eyes were drawn toward the nearby lake where Zabuza now stood. His huge sword now lay flat on his back, and two fingers were pointed into the sky, forming a half-tiger seal. Water rippled below the intimidating man's feet.

Sakura's face showed total surprise. "Is he… walking on water?!" She asked incredulously. Then she blinked. Zabuza had disappeared once again, and in his place floated a single leaf.

_Impressive_. Kakashi's eyes widened. _It takes a lot of skill to Kawarimi with an object smaller than oneself._ Without facing his team, Kakashi warned them. "He will come after me first… He was once in the Kirigakure Assassin Corps and he's famous for having mastered the art of silent killing. If you let your guard down, it'll be the last thing you do. So stay on your toes!"

The fog, which had lessened when Zabuza had asked for Tazuna, returned full force. Killing intent flooded the area.

"Dammit! What's with all this fog?" Naruto tried to whisper.

A terrifying voice floated from the mist. "**There are eight targets…**"

Sakura's eyes grew wide in fear.

"**Throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, jugular vein, subclavian artery, kidney, heart…**" The man let out a dark chuckle. "…**So many choices. What vital place shall I choose?**"

Sweat was dripping down Sasuke's face. _This killing intent… It's so much. If I even blink, he'll kill me! I can feel it! My life is in this man's hands… _He fumbled for a kunai and slowly raised it to his stomach. _I hate it! At least dying would end the suspense…_

A voice interrupted his thoughts. "Sasuke. Calm down." He turned to Sasuke and gave him a one eyes smile. "Even if he gets me, I'll still protect you. I will never let my comrades die."

"**Heh heh. I wouldn't bet on that…**" Zabuza suddenly appeared in the midst of the shinobi. "**Game over.**" He began to swing his sword around in a circle, trying to kill everyone with one blow. His move was interrupted when Kakashi dove in his way and stabbed his stomach with a kunai.

A shadowy figure appeared behind Kakashi soundlessly and only Naruto noticed.

"Sensei! Behind you!" He pointed an urgent figure at the man.

Kakashi looked backwards, and at the same time, Zabuza collapsed into a puddle of water. _Water doppelganger. Huh._ The Zabuza behind him swung his Zanbato in a deadly arc. Sakura shrieked loudly as her master was cut in two… then also collapsed into a puddle.

Stunned, Zabuza didn't move. _He was able to copy me… in this mist._ A voice came from behind. "Don't move." And a kunai now rested on his neck, just over his jugular. "Game over," Kakashi smirked.

"Heh heh. You just don't get it. It'll take more to beat me than just copying my jutsus… A lot more." Zabuza didn't move at all. "But you _are_ quite good. I'll give you that."

Zabuza's voice now came from behind Kakashi. "I am not that easy to fool!"

Kakashi quickly turned, killing the water doppelganger. He faced Zabuza who was pulling back for the final blow. He ducked, allowing the blade to harmlessly pass over him and land in the dirt. So he was caught off balance when Zabuza seamlessly used the massive sword's momentum to kick him into the lake.

Kakashi emerged from the lake and tried to swim to shore. _This water… Why is it so heavy?_

Zabuza appeared behind him, standing on the water. "Hah! What a fool!" He performed a series of seals and muttered, "Art of the Water Prison!"

Kakashi was suddenly enclosed in a massive sphere of water. _Aw crap. I thought I could recover underwater but I forgot he's a water specialist!_

"That prison is inescapable. You're trapped." Zabuza smirked from outside the prison. His entire forearm was submerged in the sphere, maintaining it and making sure Kakashi would not escape. "You running around makes it too hard for me to do my job. I'll kill you later… After I've killed your brats. Art of the Water Doppelganger!"

A single doppelganger rose from the lake. "Heheheheheh… Little ninja wannabes… You aren't fit to wear your hitai-ates. Clothes don't make a shinobi. You need skills good enough to be a threat before you can be called ninja. We don't call your kind "Ninja." We call them…" He disappeared.

_Where did he go?_ Naruto looked wildly back and forth but was sent flying back by Zabuza's kick.

"…Brats." The doppelganger finished. He kicked at the hitai-ate that now lay on the ground.

"Everyone listen! Take Tazuna and go! You can't win this fight! He can't hold me in this prison AND go after you. His water doppelganger can't go very far from him without collapsing. So move! Get out of here!"

Naruto's face twisted in fear and he scrambled to his feet. _I should run! He's way out of my league!_ A sudden jolt of pain made him look down at his hand. _Ow! _He remembered. _I swear by the pain in my left hand! I'll never run away again! I won't be the coward who hangs back or freezes up._ He glanced at the water doppelganger and at the hitai-ate under his foot. He remembered how he had earned it. It was precious to him. And he wanted it back. Without warning, Naruto charged at Zabuza with a ear-splitting battle cry.

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock. "Stop! You fool!"

Zabuza smirked and tossed his head. "Imbecile…"

POW! They collided and Naruto was sent rolling back to his teammates. Indignantly, Sakura shouted, "What were you thinking? Tacking on a master shinobi by yourself? You think you're great and all, but you're still a genin like us! You were the bottom of our class!"

Naruto rose painfully. In his hand, he clutched his hitai-ate. Addressing Zabuza he said, "There's gonna be a new entry for your Bingo Book! A guy who is gonna be the next Hokage of Konoha." He tied his hitai-ate to his forehead with a smirk. "Uzumaki Naruto!"

Tazuna's face rose in an impressed smile. _When I first saw him, I thought that midget was just a loser brat!_

"Sasuke, I have a plan!" Naruto grinned.

"So… Time for some teamwork?"

"Let's get to work!"

The water doppelganger let out a chuckle. "You're very sure of yourself. Do you really think you could beat me?"

"NO! They can't!" Kakashi shouted, "I told you guys to run! It's all over! You still have to do your duty! Protect Tazuna-san!"

Naruto turned questioningly to Tazuna. "Gramps?"

The old man's face was covered in shadow. "Let's face it. The truth is, I got you into this mess with my lies. I've had a real long life, and it would be wrong to let you four kiddos die for me. Go ahead." His face rose in false brazenness. "Give this fight everything you got. Show him who you really are!"

"All right! You ready for this?" Naruto rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"Heh heh heh heh… You're still under the delusion you could beat me." Zabuza's hand was clenched. "When I was your age, my hands were red in my enemies' blood."

Kakashi nodded. "He killed his entire class. He's the reason that Kirigakure stopped forcing classmates to fight each other to the death. They had lost an entire generation of ninja in the span of an hour. You guys don't stand a chance! Run while you still can!"

"Ah yes, good times. Good times." Zabuza's eyes looked up in remembrance. And suddenly, he was in front of the genin and throwing Sasuke off his feet.

"GAH!" Sasuke coughed up blood as a foot was pressed on his throat. _ARGH! Why can't this stop? I hate this! I hate this fear!_

Naruto growled and put his hands in a familiar cross seal. _Art of the Shadow Doppelganger!_ Hundreds of clones surrounded Zabuza's lone water doppelganger. In unison, they smirked, "Ready or not… here we come!" Their forms became blurs as they all leapt at the masked ninja. They all disappeared in a cloud of smoke moments later when Zabuza whirled around in a circle, cutting through the clones like a hot knife through butter.

Tazuna's face was full of tension. _Incredible. Just when I thought they stood a chance against him!_

Naruto was sent skidding backwards. _This is the last thing that could work!_ He reached into his backpack and hurled something at Sasuke. "Teme!"

Sasuke reached out and snatched it out of the air. "Thanks, Dobe!" _So this is what Naruto's got in mind? Great. Much better than I expected._ The blade unfolded into four massive curved blades to form a giant shuriken. He held it in front of his face, grasping it by the center hole. "Windmill Shuriken!" He leapt in the air and released it.

"Shuriken are useless against me!" Zabuza smirked. He braced himself for the impact, and was surprised when the shuriken whirled past him.

"At least you have enough sense to try to take out the real me." Both Zabuzas intoned. He caught the giant shuriken easily and laughed, "Amateur!" His eyes widened. _A second shuriken in the shadow of the first! _He gawked blankly at the blade hurtling at his chest. Naruto and Sasuke stared intently, willing it on.

At the last moment, he leapt high in the air, allowing the blade to whiz underneath. His hand never left the sphere. "Hah! Still an amateur!" His eyes shone with relief.

Sasuke let out a short laugh. The shuriken had transformed back into Naruto. He took aim, and released his kunai. _Here goes nothing!_ Zabuza, still in the air, noticed the small blade about to make contact with his head. Acting quickly, he ripped his hand from the sphere to avoid the kunai, but still received a scratch on the cheek for his troubles. Kakashi was released and sank into the waves soundlessly.

A vein throbbed on his temple. _That little runt!_ He prepared to throw the Fuma Shuriken at Naruto but found he couldn't budge it. Kakashi, now free, had the blade gripped firmly between his palms.

"You must have expended a lot of your chakra if your mist is receding already," Kakashi remarked. "Naruto, your scheme was brilliant. You had your doppelganger throw your henged body at Sasuke who then threw it at Zabuza. Ingenius. It takes a lot of skill to henge into an actual physical thing."

"And that's where you're wrong, Kakashi," Zabuza growled. "The mist was of no use to me once you figured me out. I saved my chakra for this!" He began flipping through a long series of hand seals.

Kakashi quickly lifted his headband and revealed his sharingan. He mimicked Zabuza's movements and finished the jutsu simultaneously. _Water Style! Water dragon missile!_

Two dragons formed from the lake and rammed into each other, causing a huge column of water a hundred meters tall to form from the splash.

_Something's not right… _Zabuza thought to himself. He raised an arm to perform another jutsu. At the same time, Kakashi raised his arm. Zabuza's eyes widened. _All of my moves…_ He lowered his arm abruptly. "…he sees through all of them!" Kakashi finished, also lowering his arm.

_What? He's reading my mind?_ Zabuza began to sweat as he gazed into Kakashi's all-knowing eye. _Curses! He's–_

"–Got that sickeningly even look in his eye…" Kakashi finished his thoughts. His hands, too, formed the Tori seal.

"Feh. You're just an imitation!" Zabuza blustered. "I'm the genuine article. No mere copycat stands a chance against me." Both shinobi said simultaneously.

"You mimic me like a parrot! I'll close your beak for good!" Zabuza's vein threatened to burst. He began flipping through another series of hand seals. An image flickered into existence behind Kakashi. _I-It's… me?_ Zabuza's eyes grew wide. _It can't be! Is it one of his illusions?_

Caught off guard, he didn't realize that Kakashi had finished the seals. _Water Style! Giant waterfall!_ A massive wave of water swept Zabuza off his feet and sent him crashing into a tree. He saw Kakashi striding confidently towards him to finish him off. "Tell me," he said, "Can you see the future?"

Kakashi raised a kunai and peered down at him with his sharingan. "I foresee… your death."

Zabuza's eyes grew wide and he let out a grunt as two senbon flew through the air and into his neck. He slumped to the ground.

Kakashi stared in the direction the senbon had come from. A masked ninja with long hair stood high in a tree. "Heh heh… Your prediction was true after all…" The ninja giggled. Kakashi noticed four squiggly marks on the forehead. _So… A Kirigakure hunter nin_.

Zabuza's eyes stared unseeingly at his killer and Kakashi knelt at his body. He felt for vitals. _He's dead. Definitely dead._

The masked ninja bowed his head. "Thank you for your help. I hope you don't mind my interference, but it's my mission to kill him."

Kakashi looked up at the shinobi. A swirled mark was painted on the white porcelain mask where the mouth should have been. _Ahh yes. I'm sure now._ "The mask is familiar… Are you not a Hunter Nin from Kirigakure?"

"I am, indeed, part of the elite tracking unit from Kiri. It is our duty to hunt down and kill the rogues."

_Judging by his size and voice, he couldn't be that much older than my students… But he's already in ANBU. Not your average kid. Konoha's grown weak in the peace._

The hunter's attention was drawn to Naruto who was repeatedly looking from Zabuza to the hunter. _What the…?_

"HEY WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? WHO ARE YOU?" Naruto finally burst out.

Kakashi stood up. "Relax, Naruto, he's not an enemy."

Naruto's voice rose. "THAT'S NOT WHAT I ASKED! I MEAN, HE KILLED ZABUZA… AND HE'S JUST A GUY WHO'S ABOUT MY AGE! DO WE SUCK OR WHAT?"

"Oh." Kakashi walked up to him and smiled. "Well, my condolences, Naruto. I know it can be hard to accept… But it's a fact you'll have to live with." He patted Naruto on the head. "This probably isn't the last time we run into a kid who's stronger than you… and stronger than me." He looked down at Naruto.

Naruto looked away, blushing and fuming silently.

With a swirl of leaves, the hunter disappeared and reappeared by the dead man. "Your battle is over for now, and I must destroy his remains. I must be off now." He shunshinned away.

With a sigh, Kakashi lowered his headband back to its normal position over his left eye. "We still have to get Tazuna-san back home! Let's go!"

"Hahaha" Tazuna bellowed. "You kids got your butts kicked! But never mind that, you can lick your wounds over at my house!"

Kakashi collapsed. _Urgh… Must have used the sharingan too long…_ His students rushed to his aid. All went black.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Kakashi finally woke up to see a beautiful woman standing over him. "You all right, Kakashi-san?"

"No, but I will be. In about a week."

Sakura was kneeling by him. "Is the sharingan worth it if it puts such strain on the body?"

Tazuna interrupted and mopped his brow. "You took out your strongest enemy! So you can probably relax for a while."

Sakura rested her chin on a hand. "I still can't take my mind of that masked kid!"

"He's a hunter nin," Kakashi informed her. "They're code-named the "Undertaker Squad" because they dispose of the corpses so thoroughly it's as if they never existed. Even in death, a shinobi's body can still give up its secrets. It can reveal what it mastered, it's chakra aura, even what it ate. An enemy could reproduce or steal the information. The saying isn't true. Dead men _do_ tell tales. Just not voluntarily."

o0o0o0o0o0o

Deep in the forest, the hunter ninja was digging through a selection of cutting tools. "First I'll remove the wrappings around the mouth so the blood can drain out… Then…"

The corpse stirred and grabbed the shinobi's arm. "Enough!" He ripped away at the bandages. "I can do it myself!"

"Well, now… You're already awake?" The mask gave a creepy smile.

"You're a butcher, Haku." Zabuza muttered, yanking out the senbon roughly.

"Gently, please, Zabuza-sama. If you pull those out the wrong way, you'll really kill yourself!"

Zabuza rolled his eyes. "How long are you gonna keep that mask on? It creeps me out! Take it off!"

Haku grasped the mask with a hand and began to remove it. "Old habits die hard… It's very useful, you know." The mask came away, and a hauntingly beautiful girlish face was revealed. "They'd have killed you if I hadn't intervened."

"Well you didn't have to targeted my neck to put me in the deathlike trance… Anywhere else would have been preferable!" Zabuza complained.

Haku shrugged, "It's easier to target your neck. It has less muscle to interfere with the flight path."

o0o0o0o0o0o

Kakashi's closed eye opened without warning, startling the two children who had been trying to remove his mask. "Kakashi-san! You're awake again!" Tsunami walked in.

_It's weird. I know Zabuza's dead… But I still can' shake the feeling… that I've overlooked something. _Kakashi mused, stroking his chin.

"What's wrong, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, bringing Kakashi out of his thoughts.

Kakashi smacked his forehead. "Of course! That's it! The hunters are supposed to destroy the bodies immediately. On the spot where they died."

Sakura's eyebrows quirked in confusion. "So what?"

Kakashi threw his hands in the air exasperatedly, "Don't you get it? How did the masked kid dispose of Zabuza?"

Sakura shrugged helplessly, "How should I know? He took the body with him!"

"Precisely! Precisely!" Kakashi pointed his finger at her. "All he needed for proof was the head! And then, there's the question of the interesting weapon choice the hunter used to take out Zabuza…"

_Senbon… Acupuncture needles…_ Sasuke thought to himself. Then it dawned on him. "No. Way."

Kakashi stared intently at him. "Yes way."

Tazuna raised a hand. "What on earth are you guys talking about?"

"That it's likely… that Zabuza is still alive!" Kakashi said dramatically.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" Naruto shouted.

"BUT KAKASHI-SENSEI! YOU CHECKED TO MAKE SURE ZABUZA WAS DEAD, RIGHT?" Sakura interjected.

"I did…" Kakashi said, "But… A deathlike trance could have made a convincing illusion of the real thing. Senbon can be deadly, but only in the hands of a skilled shinobi who aims for a vital point. It's extremely hard to use them effectively. Remember, Senbon were originally designed for medicine, right? All shinobi, but especially hunters, possess an intimate and thorough knowledge of human anatomy. It would be no trouble to make a person appear to be dead. This leads me to the conclusion that Zabuza is alive!"

"What are we going to do?" Tazuna moaned. "If what you say is true, we're doomed!"

"Well… I'm going to up your training schedule!" Kakashi smiled sadistically. "We have to be prepared!"

Sakura interrupted, "But Kakashi-sensei! He's so powerful nothing would help! No amount of training will get us to his level!"

"And when I was trapped…" Kakashi smiled, "Who rescued me? You three! You're improving very well! Especially Naruto! Now, these skills won't be quite enough to ensure you beat him, but it'll give you a fighting chance and a bit of an edge."

"Sensei!" Naruto shouted, "Even if Zabuza's not dead, how can we train without knowing when he's gonna attack?"

Kakashi smiled, "Good question! Once a person has been placed in a near-death trance, it's a while before their body recovers fully. So we'll train while we're waiting!"

"Why does it matter? You're all still going to die!" A little child with overalls and a big hat scowled.

Tsunami put her hands on her hips. "Inari, greet our guests properly! They're brave ninja who are protecting your grandfather!"

Inari glared back at the shinobi. "Why does it matter? Nobody can beat Gato. They're going to die."

Naruto burst out, "LISTEN YOU LITTLE TWERP! I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU THINK YOU ARE, BUT I'M GONNA BE THE HOKAGE! I'M GONNA BE A HERO!"

"'Hero?'" Inari deadpanned, "You're dumb! There's no such thing!"

Naruto rose up suddenly. "Wh-what?"

"Quit it!" Sakura shouted, restraining him.

"Go home if you don't wanna die. I've had a terrible life that you'll never understand." Inari got up to leave.

Naruto's expression softened. "I _do_ understand."

"No you don't, loser." Inari rolled his eyes.

"AUGH! THAT'S IT!" Naruto stormed after him.

"Narutoooo!"

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Our new training regimen starts today!" Kakashi said cheerfully, leaning on his crutches.

"YEAH!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically.

"But first… Let's talk about chakra, the source of your ninja powers."

"Uh… right." _I think I've heard of this before…_ "So, um. What's this again?"

Mt. Sakura blew. "YOU CALL YOURSELF A NINJA? DID YOU SLEEP THROUGH ALL YOUR CLASSES? EVEN SHIKAMARU KNOWS THIS STUFF!"

"Heheheh… I prefer to call it… High quality nap time!" Naruto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. _Not to mention that Shikamaru actually has a family and people who are willing to teach him._

_This is not good…_ Kakashi groaned inwardly. "Sakura, how about you explain this to Naruto!"

"All right!" Sakura went into bossy lecture mode. "Chakra is the energy that a shinobi uses to perform ninjutsu! This is a combination of the mental/spiritual energy and the physical energy in a shinobi's body! So all the arts and techniques of a ninja are from one or the other or both energies. Taijutsu uses the physical energies, Genjutsu uses predominantly the mental energies, and Ninjutsu uses an equal combination of both."

"Correct!" Kakashi smiled at her. "Iruka taught his students well!" Sakura beamed proudly.

"Yeah yeah whatever!" Naruto scowled, "I don't do well with long boring explainations. Can't you just show me? My body can learn it!" Sakura's proud smile turned into a furious snarl, an angry vein throbbing on her temple.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "We already use the ninja arts."

"Wrong!" Kakashi smirked, "You don't! None of you has a full mastery over your chakra!"

Naruto gaped at Kakashi. "WHAT?"

"Listen closely. Depending on what kind of technique you are using, the amount of chakra varies. Right now, none of you are using your chakra effectively! If you summon too much chakra and can't maintain your balance, it's effectiveness can be ruined and the technique may not even work at all. Not only that, but you would waste all your energy and would die easily to an opponent." Kakashi said.

Naruto laughed. "So uh… What do we do?"

"You learn to control your body through lots and lots of training!"

"How do we do that?" Sakura questioned.

Kakashi stared at his students. "How? We climb trees!"

Naruto guffawed. "HA! Good one, sensei! That was a real knee slapper! What are we really doing? We already climb trees! That has nothing to do with chakra!"

Kakashi looked serious. "This won't be just any ordinary tree climbing. You see, you're not allowed to use your hands!"

His students looked at him strangely. _I think the he's cracked under the pressure! Where's the nearest asylum? You distract him while I get the straitjacket!_

"Watch and learn!" Kakashi concentrated his chakra and walked up to a tree. He slowly made his way up the trunk until he dangled upside down on a low-hanging branch.

"He's climbing…" Naruto whispered.

"…With his legs parallel to the ground!" Sakura muttered to herself in consternation.

"So! Focus your chakra to the soles of your feet and use the power to stick to the trunk! When you fully master your own chakra, there is nothing you cannot accomplish!" Kakashi's single eye curved into a smile.

"But… Kakashi-sensei! How will learning to climb trees make us stronger?" Sakura shouted up to the shinobi.

"I'm just getting to that. The greater your chakra mastery is, the more effective your jutsus will be. This kind of tree climbing takes the finest and most delicate usage of chakra manipulation especially since it's most difficult to manipulate chakra through one's foot. In other words, if you can master your chakra, no jutsu should ever be beyond your ability!"

Naruto's face lit up in anticipation.

"Also, this builds up your chakra reserves and stamina. When you work out, your muscles tear, and they grow stronger as they heal. Chakra is similar. When you work out your chakra, your usage increases your capacity and endurance. What you're doing will one day save your lives. The only way to learn is by doing." Kakashi's fist suddenly held three kunai which he launched at the genins' feet. "Use the kunai to mark the bark at the highest point you climb to. Your goal is to get higher each time you climb. I don't expect any of you to get there on your first try, but a running start will help. Get to work!"

Naruto grinned foxily. "No sweat! I could do this in my sleep! I'm the fastest learner on the team!"

"Actions are greater than words. We'll see if you're really so good."

_Right… Focus my chakra_… Naruto was utterly concentrated on bringing out his chakra. Sakura giggled. _Naruto looks constipated!_ Within moments, concentrations of chakra leaked out of the students' feet smokily. Twisting and swirling in eddies, moved by the breeze.

Naruto broke the silence. "Ready or not, here I come!" He raced toward a tree, made a step up… and fell down hard on the ground. Sasuke tried the same. His first step caused a bit of the tree to implode, sending splinters everywhere. He leapt gracefully into the air and landed without a sound. _Maintaining focus is a lot harder than I thought. Too much, and I get launched away. Too little, and I don't stick._ His thoughts were interrupted by a boastful cheer.

"This is easier than I thought!"

The boys' attentions were drawn to a figure high in the tree. "Sakura?" Naruto shouted, "INCREDIBLE! YOU ROCK, SAKURA!"

Kakashi smiled. "Yes. Sakura, having the lowest chakra reserves, has the easiest time manipulating her chakra. If you boys have a firehose of chakra, she has a low-pressure water faucet. She can easily choose the amount of chakra she needs because her lower chakra makes for greater control and more ease."

Sakura's face dropped. _I wanted to impress Sasuke-kun… But only Naruto cared… like always!_

Kakashi smirked knowingly. "Well, Naruto. It appears that Sakura's closer to becoming Hokage then you, despite your boasts and hopes! And the hope of the Uchiha clan doesn't stand a chance against her either!"

Sakura pointed an accusing finger at the upside-down man. "HOW COULD YOU, KAKASHI-SENSEI?" _Ohhhh Sasuke's gonna hate meee!_

Kakashi laughed silently. Oh, it was so fun messing around with his students…

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Gato barged into Zabuza's room where Haku was taking care of him. His hulking bodyguards dwarfed him, making him appear even smaller than he was. "You have some nerve to come back here after your defeat! I guess you're overrated, huh?" The two bodyguards reached for their swords.

Haku's eyes narrowed. The midget businessman waved them off. "Wait a minute, you two… He reached for Zabuza. Any last words?" Before he could make contact, an arm grabbed him.

Haku turned Gato around, still gripping his arm. His eyes stared fiercely into Gato's. "Don't defile Zabuza-sama with your dirty hands!"

"How dare you?" Gato spluttered, trying uselessly to pull free. The bodyguards made their move and went in for the kill… Only to find their own swords at their necks before they could draw. _N-no way! I didn't even see him move!_

"You don't want to do that." Haku's eyes were flinty.

_He's some kind of monster! _Gato thought, his face beaded in sweat. "T-there better not be any more mistakes! If you fail again, I'll kill you!" He stormed out of the room, and his bodyguards followed.

From the bed, Zabuza growled. "Haku… There was no need." He lifted his sheets to reveal a kunai clenched in his fist.

"I know… But it's too soon to kill Gato. We wouldn't be able to escape with you in the condition you're in now. For now, we'll bide our time."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"OW!" Naruto was on the ground for the millionth time that day. "Why can't I get up there? I've barely gotten two meters off the ground!"

"Ha, Dobe," Sasuke panted, "I'm farther along than you!"

Naruto was too busy concentrating to even hear him. _Focus focus focus!_

Meanwhile, Sakura was wiped out at the base of a tree. _I'm exhausted! The boys have so much stamina! _Noticing Naruto's lack of progress, she smirked. _But Naruto hasn't improved one bit! Knowing him, he'll have a tantrum and quit!_

"GAH!" Naruto stopped focusing and walked away from the tree.

_I knew it! He's so predictable!_

"Hey, Sakura-chan! Could you help me get the hang of this?" Naruto had walked up to Sakura and was now crouching by her side.

She turned, shocked. Then she smiled.

_Naruto's growing up! There's no telling how strong he'll become. His potential is greater than Sasuke's, even mine! It's no question that one day he could become Hokage!_ Kakashi grinned proudly.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Hours later, Naruto and Sasuke were still at it. Both had improved, nearly tripling their progress. "YAAAAH!" Naruto howled as he charged up the tree. He felt himself falling and quickly sliced another mark in the tree which, by now, was riddle with scores and scratches. The mark was a good ten centimeters above the highest one. He grinned to himself in satisfaction as he landed on the ground. Then his grin turned into a frown. _Grr! He's still higher than me! Sasuke's still climbing!_

Sasuke slipped up, far from the ground. He bounced from tree to tree, zigzagging downwards until he hit the ground. Naruto gaped. _No way! That was so cool! Nuh uh. Can't let Sasuke distract me! I need total concentration!_ He remembered what Sakura had told him.

**Flashback**

"Now, pay attention. It takes mental energy to generate and manipulate chakra, so if you get distracted, you won't be able to do it! Take it easy. Relax and focus on the tree until you can feel how much or how little chakra you need to center in your feet." Sakura lectured to a totally absorbed Naruto.

"YEAH! I got it! I'll do it for you, Sakura! Thanks for the help!"

**Flashback end**

Naruto's face was scrunched up in concentration, sweat beading on his brow. _Focus. Concentrate. I can do it this time for sure!_ He began to make his way up the tree.

"Hey Naruto!"

THUD! Naruto fell to the ground like a wet sack of cement. "YOU… YOU… YOU'RE BREAKING MY CONCENTRATION! STOP BUGGING ME!" Naruto roared in frustration, a massive vein throbbed on his forehead.

"…" Sasuke sweatdropped. "Uhm… Well…"

"What? Just spit it out!" Naruto crossed his arms childishly and scowled at the socially impaired Uchiha.

"Umm…" Sasuke looked away uneasily. "Wh-what did Sakura say to you?"

Naruto's eyes widened and he giggled in glee. _HEEHEE! I know something that Sasuke doesn't know!_ "Not telling ya!"

Sasuke shot Naruto a hurt glare. _Ouch! Rejected! That's never happened before… Well, it _is _Naruto._

o0o0o0o0o0o

Everybody was gathered at the dinner table and Naruto was boisterously shouting, "Boy this is real fun! I can't remember the last time I shared a meal with so many people!"

The meal was long over… For most of the people. Naruto and Sasuke were still chowing down. As they finished, they raised their bowls. "More, please!" At this, they glared daggers at each other. Then their faces bulged comically and they puked the contents of their stomachs on the hardwood floor.

Sakura sweatdropped. "STOP EATING IF YOU'RE JUST GONNA HURL IT BACK UP! THESE PEOPLE AIN'T EXACTLY RICH AND YOU'RE WASTING THEIR FOOD!"

Sasuke wiped his mouth and glared back at her. "No, I wanna eat!"

"Because even if we make ourselves sick to do it, we have to eat if we want to get strong!" Naruto smiled. "I know what it's like to have little money, but I promise that with this mission, you'll have enough money to buy back all the food, Tazuna!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes. _Whatever it takes! Throwing up, however, is an entirely different situation._

"Um, why is this picture torn?" Sakura had gotten up and was gazing at a torn picture on the scuffed up white-washed wall. "Inari was staring at this the whole time we were eating. Someones face is completely gone. Is that deliberate?"

After a long and painful silence, Tsunami finally answered. "…It was a picture of Inari's father."

"Once upon a time, our entire city called him a hero," Tazuna said solemnly. Inari rose from the table and ran out without a word.

"Inari!" Tsunami called after him. Then she looked over her shoulder and glared at Tazuna. "Father! I've told you a million times not to mention that in front of Inari!"

Sakura's face was sympathetic. "So… is this why Inari's acting so strangely?"

"The man in the picture wasn't Inari's father by birth, but they were as close as an biological father and son have ever been. Inari was such a happy child back then. Always laughing, always smiling." Tazuna's shoulders began to shake. "But Inari changed after what happened to his father." Tazuna's face was grave and a tear rolled down his cheek. "Our people–and especially Inari were robbed of the very meaning of courage when Gato killed Kaiza. Everyone looked up to the man. He had a big X-shaped scar on his chin and wore a piece of rope like a headband. All the kids liked imitating him and wore headbands like his. He saved Inari and his dog one day, and became his hero. Several years later, he saved the village from flooding. That's when he became a hero for everyone. Then Gato came."

Kakashi's face was serious. "…And the incident you talked about took place, right?" Tazuna nodded sadly. "So… What happened?"

With a shudder, Tazuna went on. "Gato put Kaiza to death in the most barbaric way possible! He lopped off his arms, flogged him, and tied him to a cross where he left him for an hour in front of the whole village. Just to make a point. Then, when he was at the brink of death, he gave a bullshit speech about how Kaiza was a violent terrorist. He then put the brave man out of his misery. That's when Inari stopped believing in heroes. Ever since then, everything has changed. The people, the city, everything."

Naruto's thoughts turned to Inari. He understood his pain. And he knew what he could do to relieve it. Pushing back his chair noisily, he got up… And fell flat on his face.

"Don't even think about training any more today," Kakashi said, "If you keep working without getting rest, you might die!"

From the floor, Naruto replied, "I'm going to prove to him that he's wrong." He pushed himself to his feet. "I'm gonna show Inari that there are still heroes in the world! So I'm gonna train my butt off! Cya!" He closed the door behind him and disappeared into the trees.

o0o0o0o0o0o

Cheep! Cheep! Tweet! Birds flocked over Naruto's prone body as the first rays of daylight pierced the treetops. Nearby, a girl with a patterned kimono came across the sleeping shinobi. She stared at him. His face was turned to the side and a line of drool dribbled down to the earth. Her eyes moved upwards and she saw something. A Hitai-ate with the insignia of Konoha. Her eyes narrowed. _So that's who he is… That loudmouth._

She walked silently to his body and reached out, scaring away the birds. Her hands lingered over his neck, then moved in… Only to tap him on the shoulder. "You'll catch your death of cold, sleeping on the ground like that!"

Naruto stirred. "Hunh? Wha-? Who are you?"

"Oh, hi!" The girl smiled. "I'm just getting some herbs for medicine! What are _you_ doing?"

Naruto sat up suddenly and fixed an intense gaze on her. "Training!"

"Really? That headband you're wearing… Are you, like, a ninja?"

Naruto's eyes grew large in elation. "Why? Do you think I look like one? 'Cuz I really am!"

The girl giggled and tossed her long black hair. "What are you training for?"

"To build up my strength!"

"But… But you look so strong already!"

"Nope!" Naruto shouted cheerfully, "I need to be a lot stronger than this!"

The girl looked at him contemplatingly for a moment. Finally, she spoke. "But… Why?"

"I'm going to become the Hokage! I want to be respected! And I want to prove something to somebody I know!" Naruto said excitedly.

The girl looked at him for a moment, then leaned in. "So… Are you doing this for the sake of that person? Or for yourself?"

Naruto's squinted. "…Wut?" He tilted his head to the side. "I don't get it."

"Teehee!" The girl giggled. "Do you have anyone special in your life? When people are protecting something precious, they can become as strong as they have to in order to protect that precious something."

Naruto's eyes grew wide in realization. '_I will never let my comrade die!'_ "Yup!" His smile shone like the sun. "I know what you mean!"

The girl stood up slowly and began to walk away. "You _will_ get stronger. I know we'll meet again."

Naruto agreed cheerfully. "I'm sure we will!"

"So…" The girl said without turning around, "You should know that I'm a boy."

Naruto caught his jaw just before it hit the ground. _WHAAAA?! No way! He's even girlier than Sakura! And twice as hot!_

o0o0o0o0o0o

"Where did Naruto go?" Kakashi asked Sakura as they strolled through the forest. "Pushing himself beyond his limit. Going out by himself again last night… That's just not good. I hope he hasn't hurt himself."

A kunai landed in between the two shinobi. They looked up at the source and saw Naruto laying on a branch not far from the top of the tree. Sakura's eyes widened. "Naruto can climb all the way up _there_?

"Well? Well?" Naruto's voice rang throughout the forest, scaring several birds into flight. "Did you see? Look at how high I can go!" He got to his feet then slipped. "Oops! Whu-"

"AAIIIII! You idiot!" Sakura screamed.

Kakashi's face beaded in sweated. _If he falls from that height… I'm not healed enough to–_

"Yipe!" Naruto lost his balance and began plummeting to the ground… Only to catch himself on the underside of the branch with his feet. "HA! Gotcha suckers!"

Sakura's face turned purple in fury. "You… You! You almost gave me a heart attack, asshole!"

Kakashi just stared dully up at the prankster. His dull look soon turned into one of panic when Naruto's feet detached from the branch.

"Naruto!" Sakura roared, "Twice is too much! Stop messing around!"

There was a blur of movement as a figure raced up the tree and grabbed Naruto's foot from the very branch he had fallen. "Dobe…"

"Sasuke! Yess! Sasuke-kun saves the day! Once again!" Sakura danced around elatedly.

A little face with an oversized floppy hat peered out at them from the underbrush. He'd seen the whole thing.

o0o0o0o0o

Inari was in his room at his window, staring not into the beautiful ocean, but at his picture of Kaiza. _Uzumaki Naruto, huh…_

o0o0o0o0o

Tazuna looked down Kakashi. "I keep meaning to ask you. You know I lied to you about how dangerous the mission was… So why stay?"

Kakashi replied from the ground where he was doing one-fingered push ups. "'To know what is right and choose to ignore it is the way of a coward.'" He quoted with a grunt. "The Third Hokage, God of Shinobi, said those words. True shinobi do not just follow the lead of whoever leads unquestionably." _Hmm… Looks like I'm pretty much fully healed!_

o0o0o0o0o

An apple was in the grasp of a gloved hand. It trembled for a moment, then burst into a dozen pieces.

"You're almost completely recovered, Zabuza-sama." Haku said.

"Excellent!" Zabuza grinned darkly, dropping the fragments to the floor. "Let's get going, Haku"

o0o0o0o0o

The door crashed open with a bang to reveal two young boys learning on each other for support. "So you're finally back! Looking like hell too!" Tazuna smiled from the dinner table.

"I _told _you you needed a break, dobe!" Sasuke muttered to Naruto. "We made it to the top of the tree." He announced to the rest of the room.

Kakashi nodded. "Good! Starting tomorrow, we will all protect Tazuna-san!"

Naruto jumped for joy. "YES SIR!"

Inari glowered at the relaxed blonde ninja as he remembered Kaiza. His eyes grew watery and he finally exploded. "WHY DO YOU WEAR YOURSELVES OUT TRYING? NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU WORK, YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO BEAT GATO! YOU ACT ALL COOL AND TALK ALL TOUGH… BUT BIG STRONG GUYS ARE ALWAYS GONNA BEAT WEAKER PEOPLE!"

Naruto retorted indignantly. "Shut up, brat! I'm not gonna lose!"

Now bawling, Inari screamed, "JUST WATCHING YOU TICKS ME OFF! YOU RUN YOUR MOUTH AND YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW OUR PAIN! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME! YOU'RE ALWAYS SCREWING AROUND, HAVING FUN! YOU DON'T KNOW A THING ABOUT SUFFERING OR LONELINESS OR WHAT MY LIFE IS LIKE!"

Naruto's face hardened. "So… You figure it's noble to be dramatic and treat everyone around you like guests at your pity party?" Naruto's face was a mask of pure rage. "It takes a really big man to sit around and cry… Brat! You big baby!"

Inari shuddered and broke out into fresh sobs. He ran out to the dock.

"Naruto! You went too far!" Sakura gave him a thump on the head.

Naruto just snorted, "HMPH!" and stomped off to his room.

o0o0o0o

Inari heard the old boards creaking and turned around. "Mind if I join you?" Kakashi asked somberly. When he received a small nod, he sat heavily down on the edge of the dock by Inari's side. "You know, Naruto's kind of bratty, but he wasn't trying to be mean or hateful. He just doesn't have a filter."

"…" Inari looked down and hugged his knees to his chest.

"Your grandpa told us what happened to your father. Did you know that Naruto grew up without a father just like you? Actually, he didn't have any parents or family. He doesn't remember either one of them, and he's never had a single friend. His whole life has been full of pain."

"R-really?" Inari stammered.

"Mm-hmm." Kakashi nodded. "And in all the time I've known him, I've never seen him cry or use his troubles as an excuse to sulk or run away. Not once. He always tries his best, hoping someone will acknowledge him and give him a kind word. Today, he must have gotten sick of your crying. He understands what it means to be strong. He knows its cost and its worth. Just like your father. In fact, Naruto probably understands you better than any of the rest of us."

"What?" Inari looked at Kakashi incredulously.

Kakashi's eye curved into a genuine smile. "He can't leave you alone because you remind him of himself."

o0o0o0o0o

"Well! Please take care of Naruto! He's so wiped out he probably won't wake up until we get back!" Kakashi and his other students were leaving with Tazuna to go work on the bridge.

o0o0o0o0o

An hour later, there was a ruckus going on in the Tazuna household. "WHAT THE HECK? I OVERSLEPT!" Naruto rushed out of bed. "Where'd everybody go?"

"Kakashi-san wanted you to take a break today!" Tsunami called from the kitchen.

"OOH! SO THAT'S HOW IT IS! FIRST CHANCE THEY GET AND THEY DITCH ME! IM OUTTA HERE!

o0o0o0o0o

"What's happened?" Kakashi knelt at the side of an injured construction worker.

"M-monsters!" One of them managed to gasp.

Kakashi broke into a cold sweat. _It can't be…_ His head snapped to attention. _The mist…_ "They're coming!" he shouted urgently to his team. _So I was right. He survived and he's come back for more…_

Sasuke began to tremble and sweat poured down his back.

A voice floated through the mist. "It's been awhile, Kakashi… And I see that your little brat is shaking in fear… Poor thing…"

* * *

><p>AN: So… This is the most I've ever written! Sorry for this boring chapter, it's more of a filler! The good stuff begins next chapter! Also, I didn't double check. If there's any mistakes, feel free to point it out! R&R


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